4-The Uncontrolled Power

**Chapter 4: The Uncontrolled Power**

The winds howled as Riven and his companions left Kie's cottage, the weight of the old man's words pressing heavily on his mind. There was a deeper darkness to his grandfather's past—one that stretched into the realms of forbidden power, dark pacts, and a hunger that consumed everything in its path. Riven had always admired his grandfather, seen him as a symbol of strength and wisdom, but now, that image was shattered, replaced by something far more sinister. And at the center of it all, Nyx, his closest companion, had been nothing more than a pawn—a victim of his grandfather's insatiable thirst for control.

Riven's thoughts were interrupted as Nyx, walking a few paces ahead, paused and turned back toward the others. His eyes, once full of mystery and confidence, were now clouded with something that resembled regret, though there was still a hardness there—an acceptance of what had been.

"Riven," Nyx called quietly, his voice carrying a sense of finality. "There is more. You need to understand that your grandfather did not stop at just controlling beasts or gaining influence through power. He went further than that. Much further."

Riven's brow furrowed as he closed the distance between them. His heart beat faster, a mixture of curiosity and dread clawing at his chest. "What do you mean, Nyx? What else could he have done? What kind of power was he seeking?"

Nyx glanced at the horizon, as though searching for something in the distance, a haunted look in his eyes. "He sought control over more than just beasts. He sought control over the very essence of life—magic, the primal forces that exist in all things. And that led him to the cult."

Riven's mind raced. The mention of a cult was unsettling enough, but the idea that his grandfather had sought something even more dangerous—something tied to the fabric of existence itself—sent a chill through him.

"A cult?" Riven repeated. "What cult?"

Nyx hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering to the ground. "They were not of this world, Riven. They were creatures of darkness—beings that existed in the shadows, far beyond the realm of ordinary beasts or magic. They called themselves the 'Eclipsed Circle.' They promised power—more power than your grandfather could ever have dreamed of. Control over not just beasts, but over the very elements of the world."

Riven's heart skipped a beat. The Eclipsed Circle sounded like something out of a legend, something no sane person would ever dare to approach. Yet his grandfather had been desperate enough, hungry enough, to reach for that kind of power.

"But what did they want in return?" Riven asked, his voice strained. "There's always a price for power. What did they ask for?"

Nyx's expression darkened. "They didn't want wealth or influence. They wanted souls—life force. They wanted to bind the magic of the world to their will, to control it like a master controls a puppet. Your grandfather... he was too consumed by his ambition to see the cost. He believed that he could control the magic they offered him, that he could wield it without consequence. But he was wrong."

Riven's mind reeled at the thought. Souls? Life force? The cult had offered more than just raw power—they had offered dominion over the very essence of existence, and his grandfather had eagerly accepted. His thirst for control had blinded him to the dangers of the path he was walking.

"But Nyx," Riven said, taking a step forward, "what does this have to do with you? Why did my grandfather choose you to be his instrument? What was your role in all of this?"

Nyx's eyes hardened as he met Riven's gaze. "I was his anchor to the power of the Eclipsed Circle. They needed a living conduit, someone who could channel the magic they offered. I was bound to him—forced into service. I didn't have a choice. Your grandfather was clever, and he knew how to manipulate the forces at play. He made the pact with the cult, but he also used me as the vessel to carry out their will."

Riven's chest tightened as he tried to make sense of it all. His grandfather had used Nyx—his trusted companion—as a tool to harness the power of the Eclipsed Circle, turning him into an unwilling participant in a dark and dangerous ritual. But there was something more sinister here, something that troubled Riven even more than his grandfather's manipulations.

"So, what happened?" Riven asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "What went wrong? Why did the city fall? Why was everything destroyed?"

Nyx's face grew solemn, and he looked away for a moment, as if trying to recall the events with clarity. The memory seemed to haunt him. "The cult gave your grandfather the power he sought, but it wasn't as simple as he thought. The magic they offered was wild, uncontrollable. Your grandfather believed he could wield it without consequence, but the magic had its own will. It began to consume everything in its path—the beasts, the land, even the very air itself. And once that power was unleashed, there was no stopping it."

Riven's stomach churned. The more he heard, the more he realized the magnitude of the destruction his grandfather had caused. He had sought control over something he couldn't understand, and in doing so, he had unleashed a force that no one could contain.

"But Nyx, why did you have to help him?" Riven asked, his voice cracking with emotion. "Why didn't you stop him?"

Nyx's expression darkened, a mix of regret and bitterness in his eyes. "I tried. I tried to resist. But when you're bound by a pact, your will isn't your own. I was compelled to serve him, to carry out the rituals he demanded. Every time I resisted, the magic would force me back into compliance. And once the power of the cult began to take hold, it was too late. The magic had already been set in motion."

Riven clenched his fists at his sides, his frustration growing. "So, my grandfather used you. He used you to bring about something uncontrollable—and he didn't care about the consequences."

Nyx's gaze softened, and for the first time, there was a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. "Your grandfather was blinded by his ambition. He didn't understand the true cost of what he was doing. He thought he could control the power, that he could bend the world to his will. But the magic he sought wasn't something that could be controlled. It's like trying to hold a storm in your hands—it can't be done."

Riven's mind raced as he tried to process everything he had just learned. His grandfather, the man he had always admired, had been nothing more than a puppet to a darker force. He had used Nyx, and in doing so, had brought about the destruction of everything around him. The city that lay in ruins, the lives lost—it was all part of the price that had been paid for his grandfather's insatiable hunger for power.

But there was one more thing that Riven had to know. One thing that still didn't make sense.

"Nyx," Riven said, his voice filled with a newfound determination. "Why didn't you stop him? Why didn't you break the pact, end it before everything was destroyed?"

Nyx's eyes locked with Riven's, and for a long moment, there was silence. The world seemed to stand still as the weight of the question hung in the air.

"I tried," Nyx said softly. "But when you're bound to something like that, when you're tied to a force that powerful, you can't just break free. The pact doesn't let you. It takes everything from you. I couldn't stop him, Riven. I couldn't stop it."

Riven stood there, staring at Nyx, the weight of the truth settling over him like a heavy fog. His grandfather had been consumed by his own desires, and Nyx, his most trusted ally, had been forced into a role he could never escape. It was a tragic tale of ambition and betrayal, of power and the price it demanded.

Riven's heart ached for Nyx, but it also burned with a new understanding of the danger his grandfather had unleashed upon the world. Now, the path forward was clear. The power his grandfather had sought was too dangerous, too unstable, and Riven knew he had to find a way to put an end to it—to stop the legacy of destruction that had been set into motion.

And as he looked at Nyx, he realized that their journey together was far from over. The past could not be undone, but together, they might be able to stop the chaos that had been set in motion so long ago.